New Starting 5?

[HAWKNESS]

I think it's time to begin games with a different lineup. Even when we've played well it rarely seems that we start well. Definitely an even bigger problem in the losses. The starting lineup is small and also not great for Stirtz in regards to spacing.

You could go several ways but I think my preferred lineup would be Sage for Combs. Then I could go either Folgueiras or Manyawu

Stirtz
Sage
Koch
Banks
Manyawu or Folgueiras

Curious to hear if others agree and if so changes they'd make.

 

[Amahawk]

I don't think Iowa has the players to compete with the top teams. They look worn down lately.

 

[1inamillion]

I don't think Iowa has the players to compete with the top teams. They look worn down lately.

Huskers are really good and will be fired up. I hope the hawks will put up a fight. Today they started out very tight with missed layups and very tentative shooting. Coach needs to work the heck out of them so today's performance is not repeated. If practice is tough enough, maybe the boys will focus.

 

[QChawks]

makes literally no difference

 

[Buffalo43]

I like Tate over Combs Combs looked Deer in headlights today Tate can make lay ups

 

[Warhawkeye]

I don’t know but definitely time to see if a mix up can help

 

[Buffalo43]

Combs can drive his man with his size and Score but defers and then he can't make a shot when he gets it with shot clock winding down

 

[Hawk48]

It is definitely time to shake things up and find out who wants to play

 

[Buffalo43]

Combs can drive his man with his size and Score but defers and then he can't make a shot when he gets it with shot clock winding down

He is only a sophomore but he has size for a point guard and hopefully gain confidence in next 2 yeara

 

[Hawklove]

I don't think Iowa has the players to compete with the top teams. They look worn down lately.

That was a worry in the beginning. Can they play with intensity through the grueling B1G season. They do look drained lately.

 

[1inamillion]

makes literally no difference

member: 812435"]
makes literally no difference
[/QUOTE]
Line up change will not help much unless the players that are most motivated and less likely to choke get inserted. Nasty practices may reveal the answer. Think about an angry bobby knight kind of practice.

 

[QCHawkeye]

Doesn’t matter. Ben wiffed on the guy from Kansas State and the Spanish guy. Bench is crap.

 

[Anon1751373437]

He is only a sophomore but he has size for a point guard and hopefully gain confidence in next 2 yeara

I believe he's a Junior.

 

[Denmar]

Koch shouldn’t start. Need players that want to shoot the ball and that kid is scared to shoot, even when open. Stirtz and Hausen are the only players that are comfortable to shoot with a defender in their face. Hausen can go on a hot streak at any time, as proven while at KSU, and he’s not any worse a defender as Koch.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

I think it's time to begin games with a different lineup. Even when we've played well it rarely seems that we start well. Definitely an even bigger problem in the losses. The starting lineup is small and also not great for Stirtz in regards to spacing.

You could go several ways but I think my preferred lineup would be Sage for Combs. Then I could go either Folgueiras or Manyawu

Stirtz
Sage
Koch
Banks
Manyawu or Folgueiras

Curious to hear if others agree and if so changes they'd make.

And why should Koch be starting at this point? Actually thought Jirak played pretty well. At least worthy of some more minutes then he's been getting.

 

[Warhawkeye]

Koch shouldn’t start. Need players that want to shoot the ball and that kid is scared to shoot, even when open. Stirtz and Hausen are the only players that are comfortable to shoot with a defender in their face. Hausen can go on a hot streak at any time, as proven while at KSU, and he’s not any worse a defender as Koch.

Keep riding the Hausen train. Unfortunately the guy sucks.

 

[HAWKNESS]

And why should Koch be starting at this point? Actually thought Jirak played pretty well. At least worthy of some more minutes then he's been getting.

I think Koch has a higher ceiling if he can regain his confidence vs some of alternatives like Howard, and Combs but you're right he's not playing well. Jirak had a few nice moments and should play more than he has which is similar story to Haussen but he also looks to have some physical limitations which again is similar to Haussen. I think 99% of us would say stirtz and Banks in starting 5. After that you'll get a lot of varying answers and for good reason

 

[bansheexyz]

Stirtz , Banks, and Manyawu should never leave the floor. I'd put Combs and Sage in the other two slots, and sub them for Howard/Haussen occasionally.

I'm not sure I'd personally give Koch and Folgueiras many minutes the rest of the way due to their footspeed issues on defense. They're just too slow.

But the one guy I really want to see benched for a few games is Alvaro. In Iowa's losses @minnesota and @Maryland, he scored 0 total points in 33 minutes. I had to double check my vision, but it's true. Those are bad teams and he scored 0 frickin points. He also scored 0 in our win @ Indiana.

Against good teams?
Illinois 8 points
Purdue 5 points
@ Purdue, 4 points,
@msu 2 points
@ ISU 4 points.

The lowest amount of minutes Alvaro has played is 9. Guess which game that was and whether we won or not? It was our first game vs Maryland, we won by 19 and he scored 3 points.

 

[Denmar]

Keep riding the Hausen train. Unfortunately the guy sucks.

Unfortunately the team isn’t lighting the scoreboard on fire so what’s the advantage of not getting him minutes? His fg% is as good as other starters. His D is adequate. I’m not on the Hausen train but watching the rest of the starters continuously make mistake after mistake makes me wonder what’s wrong with sitting those that are underperforming instead of rewarding them with minutes. Koch looks absolutely lost on both ends of the floor lately and Folgers makes some of the dumbest decisions on the team. Vent over.

 

[hawkeyemark18]

And why should Koch be starting at this point? Actually thought Jirak played pretty well. At least worthy of some more minutes then he's been getting.

Finally I find a poster who agrees with me about Jirak. Ben missed the boat not playing him more up to this point in conference play. The rubber meets the road here for Ben in his rookie season. Agree with others that Sage needs to play more. Very key piece of the future as I suspect Jirak will develop into. I like Koch but I agree with you. Ben doesn't have much to lose shaking things up a bit.

 

[2D]

Finally I find a poster who agrees with me about Jirak. Ben missed the boat not playing him more up to this point in conference play. The rubber meets the road here for Ben in his rookie season. Agree with others that Sage needs to play more. Very key piece of the future as I suspect Jirak will develop into. I like Koch but I agree with you. Ben doesn't have much to lose shaking things up a bit.

Ben prioritizes defensive performance over everything else, which is why Koch starts so often. Jirak's size would be really helpful for us, but he's a defensive liability compared to the other starters. Today, Ben was desperate to stop all the rebounds, so he opted for Jirak's size to help alleviate all the missed rebounds. I'd like to see him get more chances to play though.

 

[hawkeyemark18]

Ben prioritizes defensive performance over everything else, which is why Koch starts so often. Jirak's size would be really helpful for us, but he's a defensive liability compared to the other starters. Today, Ben was desperate to stop all the rebounds, so he opted for Jirak's size to help alleviate all the missed rebounds. I'd like to see him get more chances to play though.

I have tried to make the point in the past that Koch plays hard on the defensive end. Remember the Northwestern game on that. People overlook that I think because he does struggle now on the offensive end. Combs has to come out of the starting lineup first. Ben will have to decide where to adjust things from there.

 

[MAXIMUSHAWKEYE]

I think it's time to begin games with a different lineup. Even when we've played well it rarely seems that we start well. Definitely an even bigger problem in the losses. The starting lineup is small and also not great for Stirtz in regards to spacing.

You could go several ways but I think my preferred lineup would be Sage for Combs. Then I could go either Folgueiras or Manyawu

Stirtz
Sage
Koch
Banks
Manyawu or Folgueiras

Curious to hear if others agree and if so changes they'd make.

Combs has been dreadful on both ends of the court. Would play Sage. The freshman center needs more minutes.

 

[MAXIMUSHAWKEYE]

Koch shouldn’t start. Need players that want to shoot the ball and that kid is scared to shoot, even when open. Stirtz and Hausen are the only players that are comfortable to shoot with a defender in their face. Hausen can go on a hot streak at any time, as proven while at KSU, and he’s not any worse a defender as Koch.

The problem with Koch is he's missing wide open 3s.

 

[bansheexyz]

The problem with Koch is he's missing wide open 3s.

He also looks lost on defense like Folgueiras, they both have to give up space to shooters to prevent getting blown by, and they both fail to recognize the greater threat. Man to man isn't that confusing either. The layup line I saw @ maryland was enough to convince me that he and Koch are incapable of guarding elite teams. I rewatched the Purdue highlights on youtube and there was one play in particular where Koch gets posterized. In the play, Alvaro is slow to get back on defense and is frantically waving at Koch to guard his man streaking towards the basket, but Koch just stays in the middle pressing on their big until it's too late.

 

[DukeSlater]

I think it's time to begin games with a different lineup. Even when we've played well it rarely seems that we start well. Definitely an even bigger problem in the losses. The starting lineup is small and also not great for Stirtz in regards to spacing.

You could go several ways but I think my preferred lineup would be Sage for Combs. Then I could go either Folgueiras or Manyawu

Stirtz
Sage
Koch
Banks
Manyawu or Folgueiras

Curious to hear if others agree and if so changes they'd make.

Absolutely change the starting lineup, which I noted in another post. My starters would be:

Stirtz
Jirak
Sage
Banks
Folgueiras

Reward the guys who DID come to play. Let the other guys watch. There's absolutely nothing to lose. Jirak played his *** off and earned the start. And let's see how Sage and Folgueiras do as starters. They both have plenty of talent. Give them a shot. Ben clearly needs to shake things up. Yesterday was a massive embarrassment.

 

[DukeSlater]

I don't think Iowa has the players to compete with the top teams. They look worn down lately.

They nearly beat Iowa State, Illinois, and Purdue earlier. They do look worn down, which is another reason to shake up the lineup.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

I think Koch has a higher ceiling if he can regain his confidence vs some of alternatives like Howard, and Combs but you're right he's not playing well. Jirak had a few nice moments and should play more than he has which is similar story to Haussen but he also looks to have some physical limitations which again is similar to Haussen. I think 99% of us would say stirtz and Banks in starting 5. After that you'll get a lot of varying answers and for good reason

I'd agree Jirak has some warts, but he gives effort, and has some skills. He's actually a pretty good passer, and has the size to help some inside.

 

[HawkInDenver]

Doesn’t matter. Ben wiffed on the guy from Kansas State and the Spanish guy. Bench is crap.

I really thought both of those guys would start when we got them from the portal. IIRC, they were both highly coveted.

The Spaniard has flashed his high level skills at times but has obviously been inconsistent. I wonder if having him guard B1G centers is hurting his overall game?

 

[hawkeyemark18]

I really thought both of those guys would start when we got them from the portal. IIRC, they were both highly coveted.

The Spaniard has flashed his high level skills at times but has obviously been inconsistent. I wonder if having him guard B1G centers is hurting his overall game?

The announcers pointed out Al has very good passing skills for a big. People tend to overlook that. Rough around the edges seems generous to describe his overall game. Jirak also passes well and I think has to play a bigger role likely earlier than Ben would prefer. Al might well blossom playing as more of a forward.

 

[Max Rebo]

I really thought both of those guys would start when we got them from the portal. IIRC, they were both highly coveted.

The Spaniard has flashed his high level skills at times but has obviously been inconsistent. I wonder if having him guard B1G centers is hurting his overall game?

The rest of the Big Ten has bested our Spaniard, which means they must have studied … so we can clearly not choose the lineup in front of us.

 

[IowaCityLit]

I’m not sure there’s an easy or clear answer. Which is part of the problem.,Just very little consistency from game to game with player performance. Not sure who you can rely upon other than BS. Might just look at matchups rest of the way and adjust accordingly.

 

[eyesofhawk]

Absolutely change the starting lineup, which I noted in another post. My starters would be:

Stirtz
Jirak
Sage
Banks
Folgueiras

Reward the guys who DID come to play. Let the other guys watch. There's absolutely nothing to lose. Jirak played his *** off and earned the start. And let's see how Sage and Folgueiras do as starters. They both have plenty of talent. Give them a shot. Ben clearly needs to shake things up. Yesterday was a massive embarrassment.

Ben specifically said in the post-game that nobody on the team feels embarrassed

 

[Palmerhawk]

Neb lives on the three.
Mast goes out to arc..Jirak would never get out there.
Need our quickest team out there to guard arc.
Maybe try Tate instead of koch to guard Pryce.

 

[Titanhawk]

I think it's time to begin games with a different lineup. Even when we've played well it rarely seems that we start well. Definitely an even bigger problem in the losses. The starting lineup is small and also not great for Stirtz in regards to spacing.

You could go several ways but I think my preferred lineup would be Sage for Combs. Then I could go either Folgueiras or Manyawu

Stirtz
Sage
Koch
Banks
Manyawu or Folgueiras

Curious to hear if others agree and if so changes they'd make.

If someone on the bench should be a starter, they would consistently show that coming off the bench. "Shaking up" the line up won't over come lack of talent. They're all about the same level

 

[IaHawks2424]

The announcers pointed out Al has very good passing skills for a big. People tend to overlook that. Rough around the edges seems generous to describe his overall game. Jirak also passes well and I think has to play a bigger role likely earlier than Ben would prefer. Al might well blossom playing as more of a forward.

Some of the best offense we have had over the last few games is AF in the high post passing to a cutter at the hoop (typically Stirtz). I am not sure why we don't utilize this more often and run a 5 out or the 5 screening the baseline and people cutting to the rack. Right now we are clogging up the hoop area with the pick and pocket pass to Banks (or whoever else is playing the 4), roll to the hoop with Cam or Al in the post. Clear that out and have AF pass from the high post to cutters at the rim.

 

[HAWKNESS]

If someone on the bench should be a starter, they would consistently show that coming off the bench. "Shaking up" the line up won't over come lack of talent. They're all about the same level

I agree they're all similar level but disagree mixing up a lineup can't create better results. Personally I don't like the spacing when Cam and Combs are playing at same time. They're not good enough scorers to create more honesty from defenders which allows defense to even more dramatically lock in on Stirtz. I think it's a reason in why we start slow especially offensively. If you start either or Sage or Alvaro you have to stay a little closer to either of them.

 

[HawksRule25]

 

[Hawkapottomos Rex]

I don't think Iowa has the players to compete with the top teams. They look worn down lately.

Definitely doesn't matter who starts against Purdue if it's allowed to be a physical game we have no shot.

 

[SB_SB]

Keep riding the Hausen train. Unfortunately the guy sucks.

He has played enough for anyone to know if he sucks. Koch isn't shooting good and so I'd rather have a guy willing to shoot rather than dumping the ball to Stirtz with 10 seconds left on the shot clock.

I'd also put in the Jirak.